Automatic cloth roll winder



Jan. 1, 1935. H QUICK AL 1,986,746

AUTOMATIC CLOTH ROLL WINDER Filed Dec. 20, 1952 2 Pau/ /7. Qa 1'0 6 Ifar/'Mgj INVENTORS.

v ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES AUTOMATIC CLOTH ROLL WINDEB Paul H.Quick and Earl W. Simpson, Gloversville N. Y., assignors toGloversville, N. Y.

Kingsboro Silk mun, Inc;

Application December 20, 1932, serial No. 648,130

20. Claims.

This invention relates to an automatic cloth roll winder for warpknitting machines, and particularly to means for rotating the cloth rollat proper speed to wind up the cloth as produced and to maintain aproper tension on the fabric as formed and on its travel from theknitting mechanism to the cloth roll.

The roll winding mechanism usually employed is weight-operated, a weightbeing fastened to one end of a rope or cable-which passes intermediateits ends over a pulley at a suitable elevationand is fastened to andwound at its opposite end about a drum having a pawl and ratchetconnection with the cloth roll for driving the roll positively in onedirection for a take-up action and permitting the roll to be turned inthe opposite direction independent of the driving mechanism when it isdesired to unroll the cloth. At intervals this mechanism runs down andmust be wound up,-for which purpose an actuating handle is provided uponthe drum, and during thisaction "one hand of the operator must be usedto grip the roll while the other hand operates the actuating handle.

The use of such weight-operated winding mechanisms is open to manyobjections. Because it must be wound up from time to time, during whichthe cloth roll is either held inactive by or turned by hand, it'limitsthe speed of the machine and is unsuitable for this and other reasonshereinafter stated upon fast working machines,.and the quality of clothproduced is liable to be impaired because of the presence of stopmarks". It is irregular in action and as its pull or turning forcevaries inversely to that required for efllcient action due to theincreasing weight and diameter of the roll as the cloth is formed andtaken up, the tension on the cloth undesirably varies and cannot beregulated to any fixed degree and maintained substantiallyconstantduring a run of the machine, which is essentialin making difierentgrades of fabrics. Furthermore, such mechanism, because of its faultyaction, limits the speed and output of the machine, and, because of theconstant attention it requires, adds to thecost of operation of themachine and accordingly to the cost of production of the fabric.

The main object of my invention is to provide a roll driving or windingmachine which is to a high degree smooth, regular and even i119!eration, which isconstant in its working action and does not requirerewinding, which may be regulated in its action to govern its pull andthe tension on the fabric as required in making any fabric, whichpermits winding of the fabric over or under the roll as best suited inmaking different fabrics, which is to a large extent automatic in actionand does away with a large proportion of manual labor required in theoperation of a weight-operated driving mechanism, and which in these andother respects overcomes the well known objections to weight-drivencloth roll winders.

a A further object of the invention is to provide an electrically drivencloth roll winding mechanism which is operative to drive the roll at thedesired speed and power to secure a uniform winding action and uniformtension on the fabric.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts; hereinafter fully described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary end elevation of a warp knitting machineembodying my invention, showing only so much of the machine as isnecessary to illustrate the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the adjacent end portion of the machineshowing the cloth roll and its driving connections.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, 1 designates the frameof a fast'warp knitting machine of known type, 2 the cloth beam, 3elements of the knitting mechanism of the machine, 4 the warp beam, 5 athread tension and guide rod, and 6 thread guiding means between the rod5 and the knitting elements 3, all of which parts are or may be ofordinary construction. The warp threads 7 pass from the beam 4 over therod 5 to and down through the guiding means 6 to knitting mechanism 3,by which the cloth fabric 8 is formed, the fabric being wound undertension on the roll 2.

In accordance with our invention, the roll 2 is driven by a sprocketwheel or gear 9, suitably mounted at one end of the roll 2, through themedium of a clutch connection comprising a pawl 10 and ratchet 11,whereby the roll is positively driven in winding direction by the gear 9but is free to turn independently of the gear in the opposite orunwinding direction, when pawl 10 is lifted, to allow the cloth to beremoved. The pawl and ratchet connection may be of double or reversibletype so that either direction of rotation of the roll may be made thewinding direction to allow the cloth to be wound onto the roll by eitheran over-wind or an under-wind action, according to the character of thecloth which is being made. In the present instance a pivoted reversiblepawl is shown.

The gear 9 is driven from a torque motor 12 of special type. This motoris a slow speed motor having a 10:1 gear reduction unit 13 built into-its driving end, including a small sprocket wheel or pinion 14, fromwhich driving motion is transmitted to the sprocket wheel 9 by means ofa sprocket chain 15, The motor is so designed that it runs at asubstantially steady speed and exermitted and varied within a wide rangeas occasion requires, which extreme flexibility of power transmission ispermitted by the use of a motor drive sprocket 14 which is much smallerthan the sprocket 9. The motor may be driven from any commercialelectric line or other source of current of proper voltage, and in itscircuit, besides the rheostat, there is included an ordinary switch 17for cutting it in or out of the supply circuit, and a capaoitator 18 ordevice to prevent overheating of the field units. The motor is so wiredas to be reversible in action so that the cloth roll may be driven inthe opposite direction to that commonly employed, that is to say, forwinding the cloth from under the roll instead of from over the roll,which is sometimes necessary in manufacturing various types of fabrics.In practice the electrical instruments mentioned are preferably mountedupon the frame of the machine and the circuit wiring run throughinsulated tubing 19.

In the operation of the winding means, the knitting machine being inaction and the switch 1'7 turned on, the rheostat 16 is adjusted toproper position to regulate the driving pull of the motor, whereby thecloth roll is driven at the proper winding speed and under sufficienttorque to turn it according to the load conditions, that is, the windingresistance due to weight and character of the fabric which is being madeand wound upon the cloth roll, and the size of the roll. It will beunderstood, of course, that as the size of the roll increases and itsweight increases, due to the increasing amount of cloth wound upon it,its speed of rotation and the power supplied to rotate it must bevaried, which is smoothly and exactly effected by adjustment of therheostat to regulate its resistance and the action of the motor. Therheostatjmust also be adjusted as circumstances may require to governthe operation of the winding roll in accordance with the speed ofproduction and character of the fabric which is being formed. Thisoperation of adjusting therheostat must be manually performed, whichrequires in any run of the machine the occasional attention of anattendant, but in all other respects the winding mechanism is entirelyautomatic and does away with the time and labor required in periodicallyrewinding a winding motor, as in the case of the use of a weight motor,and also avoids the numerous objections noted ,in the use of a motor ofthis type. The continual or sustained service of an attendant is nottherefore necessary, and an attendant may supervise the operation of anumber of machines and perform other duties in the mill, thus reducinglabor expenses. Also it will be evident that, as the roll drivingoperation is continuous as long as the machine is in action, thenecessity of stopping or manually turning the cloth roll, as isnecessary in rewinding weight-driven cloth rolls, is obviated as well asthe stop marks on the fabric produced thereby, and a better grade offabric may be made because of the substantially uniform tension whichmay be maintained by the uniform winding action of the cloth roll. Asthe winding mechanism may also be operated at any given winding speed,to perform such function in a regular and uniform manner, there ispractically no limit to the speed at which the machine may be operated,so that a greater amount of fabric may be turned out within a given timethan is possible in the use of weight-driven winding mechanisms. Asstated, the motor is reversible and the winding roll may be driven ineither direction for a winding action, and may be operated in thereverse direction for an unwinding action, so that the cloth may be rununder the roll for a winding action instead of over it, which issometimes necessary in manufacturing certain types of fabrics.

From the foregoing description, the construction, mode of operationandadvantages of our improved automatic cloth roll winder for warpknitting machines will be readily understood and appreciated by thoseversed in the art without a further and extended description. While theconstruction disclosed is preferred, it will, of course, be understoodthat changes in the form, proportions and details of construction of theparts, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

What we claim is:

1. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor having a reduction drive unit, a high-low speed ratio drivingconnection between the reduction drive unit'and the roll, a feed circuitfor the motor, and variable resistance means in said circuit for varyingthe pull of the motor.

2. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor, a drive connection between the motor and the roll comprising areduction gear unit including a small sprocket wheel driven by themotor, a larger sprocket wheel driving the roll, and a sprocket chainconnecting said gears, a feed circuit for the motor, and a resistancemeans in said circuit for varying the pull of the motor.

3. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor having a reduction gear unit, a high-lowspeed-gear ratio drivegearing driven by the reduction gear unit, and a clutch connectionbetween said drive gearing and the roll.

4. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor, a gear element having a .pawl and ratchet connection with theroll, and a drive connection between the motor and said gear element.

5. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor having a reduction drive unit including a gear pinion, a gearwheel having a pawl and ratchet connection with the roll, and a driveconnection between said gear pinion and the said gear wheel.

6. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor, a gear element having a pawl and ratchet connection'with theroll, and a chain drive con motor having a reduction gear unit, and adriving connection between said gear unit and the roll, said connectionhaving a pawl and ratchet connection with the roll.

9. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor, and a drive connection between the motor and the roll comprisinga reduction gear unit including a small sprocket gear wheel driven bythe motor, a larger sprocket gear wheel driving the roll, said gearhaving a pawl and ratchet connection with the roll, and a sprocket chainconnecting said ears. 10. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth makingmachines, the combination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a clothroll, a torque motor having a reduction gear unit, a sprocket piniondriven thereby, a sprocket wheel having a pawl and ratchet connectionwith the roll, and a sprocket chain connecting said pinion and sprocketwheel.

11. In-a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination, with a cloth making mechanism, of a roll for winding up thecloth and maintaining a predetermined tension on the cloth formingmaterial in process of formation, a gearing for driving the rolloperative to positively drive the roll in one direction for a clothwinding action and to permit rotation of the roll in the oppositedirection for a cloth unwinding action, a torsion motor for driving saidgearing in roll winding direction, and an electric feed circuitincluding said motor embodying means governing the current supply to themotor to vary its pull to regulate the winding speed of the roll withregard to its increasing diameter to maintain such predetermined tensionon the material.

12. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination, with cloth supplying means, of a winding roll for thecloth, a reversible torque motor, a drive gearing for the rolloperabletherebyxand a reversible clutch connection between said gearingand the roll.

13. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination, with cloth supplying means, of a winding roll for thecloth, a reversible torque motor, a drive gearing for the roll operablethereby, a reversible clutch connection between said gearing and theroll, an electric circuit including the motor, and means governing thesupply of current to the motor to regulate its ull. p 14. In a clothwinding mechanism for cloth making machines, the combination with acloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torque motor having areduction gear unit, a driving connection between said gear unit and theroll, said connection having a pawl and ratchet connection with theroll, an electric circuit including the motor, and means governing thesupply said gears, an electric circuit including the motor, and meansgoverning the supply of current to the motor to regulate its pull.

l6. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth supplying mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor having a reduction gear unit, a sprocket pinion driven thereby, asprocket wheel having a pawl and ratchet connection with the roll, a

sprocket chain connecting said pinion and sprocket wheel, an electriccircuit including the motor, and means governing the supply of currentto the motor to regulate its pull.

17. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth producing mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor having a reduction drive unit, a driving connection between theroll and the reduction drive unit of the motor, a feed circuit for themotor, and variable resistance means in said circuit for varying thepull of the motor proportionate to the winding resistance of the clothbeing wound on the roll.

18. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a. cloth producing mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor, a high-low speed ratio sprocket and chain drive gearing actuatedby the motor, a pawl and ratchet connection between the said sprocketand chain drive gearing and the roll, a feed circuit for the motor, andvariable resistance means in said circuit for varying the pull of themotor proportionate to the winding resistance of the cloth being woundon the roll.

19. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth producing mechanism, of a cloth roll, a torquemotor having a reduction drive unit, a feed circuit for the motor, ahigh-low speed ratio drive connection between the motor and rollembodying a sprocket pinion driven by the motor, a sprocket gear fordriving the roll, a chain connecting said pinion and gear, and avariable resistance means in said circuit for varying the pull of themotor proportionate to the winding resistance of the cloth being woundon the roll,

20. In a cloth winding mechanism for cloth making machines, thecombination with a cloth producing mechanism, of a cloth roll forwinding up the cloth, a reversible torque motor having a reduction gearunit, a high-low speed ratio drive gearing actuated by said gear unit, apawl and ratchet I connection between said drive gearing and the rollreversible for connection with the motor and drive gearing to efiect anover-winding or under-winding direction drive of the roll in therotation, of the motor in opposite directions, a feed circuit for themotor, and a' resistance means in said circuit for varying the pull ofthe motor.

PAUL H. QUICK. EARL W. SIMPSON.

